Gymnast writes new script for himself, school

May 22, 2009|By Mike Helfgot, SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE

His coach called it a storybook ending, a "Rudy or Rocky moment."

In reality, though, Justin Maxwell had long since proved he belonged.

Maxwell, a senior at Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, was no underdog at the state gymnastics meet last weekend, was not some unknown kid trying to overcome the odds and make a name for himself.

This was simpler. Maxwell was upset, maybe even a little embarrassed.

The state meet, the one he had a realistic chance of winning, had gone from bad to worse. After posting the second-best all-around score among the five sectional competitions the previous weekend, Maxwell finished a disappointing seventh and qualified for the finals in just two of the six events.

The first, the still rings -- his best event -- was an unmitigated disaster, a 9.0 that placed him in a tie for last among 10 finalists. Instead of mentally preparing for the high bar, he was stewing.

"You put so much work into doing well and you only get one chance," Maxwell said, "so when you are off, it's pretty disappointing."

What happened next was quite the opposite. Going last on the high bar and needing to top 9.5 to win, Maxwell nailed a Tkachev -- a release and catch under the bar -- before soaring 20 feet and landing a crowd-thrilling double-twist, double-back dismount that is worth watching on YouTube.

"When I landed, I looked over and one of the judges was screaming along with the crowd," Maxwell said. "That was cool. That was a first. I don't want to sound arrogant, but I kind of knew I was going to win based on that. That was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

The judges scored it a 9.6, making Maxwell Chicago's first state-championship gymnast since 1996.

"The crowd went nuts," said Ricky Thompson, Maxwell's stepfather and high school coach. "They were saying that no one had ever hit a double-double at the state meet before."

Maxwell, the pride of the Chicago Park District's gymnastics program, could be leaving a legacy as he continues his career at Illinois-Chicago.

The Public League doesn't sponsor gymnastics, so along with his longtime training partner, Agricultural Science junior Chancellor Foulks, Maxwell competed as an individual throughout his high school career while he trained for club competitions five nights a week under former Young state champion Darion Knight at Harrison Park.

Thompson hopes to build on the success of Maxwell and Foulks, who finished third on the high bar at the state meet, and form a co-op team of Chicago schools next season. Thompson, a former Proviso East and UIC gymnast, thinks he has enough interest from other park district gymnasts.

"I may just start looking for other guys who have interest," Thompson said. "We'd like to do a co-op team next year. We'd like to get gymnastics alive in Chicago."

As for Maxwell, UIC coach C.J. Johnson has high hopes. Johnson, who also coached Thompson at the school, expects Maxwell to earn a scholarship early in his career. One of just 18 Division 1 gymnastics programs in the country, UIC splits its 6.35 scholarships among its top 12 gymnasts.

"He has a lot more to do on the college level, but he is marketable on the college level," Johnson said. "I don't see Justin making it his first year immediately. He has some weaknesses in his form, but he's getting stronger every day. I expect next year and the year after he should be there. He has all the tools. For Justin not to get a scholarship, he will have to have quit or lose faith in himself."

After all he's accomplished, that's not likely.

"I opened the door for the Park District, as well as my school, for a city athlete to compete in gymnastics," Maxwell said. "To be the only gymnasts in the city to compete, and to win a medal with my teammate is awesome."

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RAISING THE BAR

By scoring a 9.6 on the high bar at the state gymnastics meet Saturday, Justin Maxwell became the fifth boys gymnast from Chicago to win a championship since the state began using the modern scoring system in 1969.